User blog:Elgb333/I Will Survive! Hugh Glass vs Alexander Selkirk
We humans maybe big shots when it comes to building and destroying civilizations, but how good are we really when trapped in the clutches of mother nature, faraway from society, and alone in the most hostile environments in the world. There are people in history, who survived both the cruelty of men and the unrelentess of nature and lived to tell the tale. So today on Deadliest Warrior, we will be pitting two of history's greatest survivors in a battle to the death... Hugh Glass: Mountain Man who wrestled a grizzly to the death, and hunted down those who have left him... vs Alexander Selkirk: Castaway who survived four years alone in an island and become an inspiration behind Robinsons Crusoe! They showed to us that we humans are one tough and stubborn species. Rip-offs like Bear Grylls, Ed Standford, Hazen Audel, that reality show Survivor and even Tom Hanks tried to recreate their accomplishments, but they're all pussies compared to these two legendary survivors. And now its time for them to meet face-to-face... to decide who is... THE DEADLIEST WARRIOR! Hugh Glass Hugh Glass (c. 1783 – 1833) was an American frontiersman, fur trapper, fur trader, hunter, and explorer. Born in Pennsylvania to Scots-Irish parents, Glass became an explorer of the watershed of the Upper Missouri River, in present-day Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the Platte River area of Nebraska. His frontier story contained numerous embellishments. He was reported to have been captured by privateers under the command of the Gulf of Mexico pirate chief Jean Lafitte off the coast of Texas in 1816 and forced to become a pirate for up to two years. Glass allegedly escaped by swimming to shore near what is present-day Galveston, Texas. Hugh Glass was later rumored to have been captured by the Pawnee tribe, with whom he lived for several years. n 1822, Glass responded to an advertisement in the Missouri Gazette and Public Advertiser placed by General William Henry Ashley, which called for a corps of 100 men to "ascend the river Missouri" as part of a fur-trading venture. The expedition was attacked in June 1823 by Arikara warriors, and Glass was apparently shot in the leg. Fearing that continuing up the Missouri would make them vulnerable to further attack, some of the party, including Glass, chose to travel overland towards the Yellowstone River. Glass was then attacked by a Grizzly bear, who lacerated his back and severely crippled him. He managed to kill the beast and was found by his fellow hunters. Glass then best known for his story of survival and retribution, after being left for dead by companions. Hugh Glass was killed, along with two of his fellow trappers, in early spring of 1833 on the Yellowstone River, in an attack by the Arikara. Like many of his fellow mountain men, including Jedediah Smith, his life ended violently. Weapons Main= Hawken rifle The Hawken rifle was a muzzle-loading flintlock rifle built by the Hawken brothers, and used on the prairies and in the Rocky Mountains of the United States during the early frontier days. It has become synonymous with the "plains rifle", the buffalo gun, and the fur trapper's gun. The rifles are generally shorter and of a larger caliber than earlier “Kentucky rifles” from which they descend. Hawken rifles had a reputation for both accuracy and long range. * .54 caliber * 400 yards |-|Sidearm= Hunting knife Traditional hunting knife with a curved blade that hunters and fur trappers used. Besides being used as a weapon and tool for skinning game, Glass also used it during his infamous duel with a grizzly bear. * Single-edged curved blade * 6 inches |-|Special= Hatchet A very indispensable tool to the frontiersmen was the simple hatchet. They were essential for cutting wood to create fire and warm these men at hard times. They can also be used as makeshift weapons if need to. With some being inspired by Native-American tomahawk designs, a hatchet can also be thrown. * Axe head with a broad flat back * 14 inches * Two-handed, but light enough to be used one-handed Alexander Selkirk Alexander Selkirk (1676 – 13 December 1721), also known as Alexander Selcraig, was a Scottish sailor who spent more than four years as a castaway (1704–1709) after being marooned on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific Ocean, or South Sea. Selkirk was an unruly youth, and joined buccaneering expeditions to the South Sea during the War of the Spanish Succession. One such expedition was aboard Cinque Ports, commanded by William Dampier. Dampier was captain of St George, and Selkirk served on Cinque Ports, St George's companion ship, as sailing master under Captain Thomas Stradling. In February 1704, following a stormy passage around Cape Horn, the privateers fought a long battle with a well-armed French vessel, St Joseph, only to have it escape to warn its Spanish allies of the buccaneers' arrival in the Pacific. A raid failed on the Panamanian gold mining town of Santa María when their landing party was ambushed. The easy capture of Asunción, a heavily-laden merchantman, revived the men's hopes of plunder, and Selkirk was put in charge of the prize ship. In September 1704, the ship called in for provisions at the Juan Fernández Islands off Chile, and Selkirk judged correctly that his craft was unseaworthy and asked to be left there. By the time he was rescued, Selkirk had become adept at hunting and making use of the resources that he found on the island. His story of survival was widely publicized when he returned home and became a probable source of inspiration for writer Daniel Defoe's fictional character Robinson Crusoe. Weapons Main= Brown Bess Musket The "Brown Bess" was the nickname of the Land Pattern Musket, the standard British Military musket from 1722 until 1838- Over 100 years. The weapon was one of the earliest examples of a standardized design for a military firearm in history, and was used by the British Military. What it lacks in range, it makes up for sheer rate of fire. It can spit out 3-4 rounds per minute. As a British privateer himself, Selkirk no doubt was trained to use this. It proved valuable to him as he hunted game during his initial days in that island. * .71 caliber * 100 yards |-|Sidearm= Dirk A dirk is a type of dagger used primarily as a thrusting weapon. The weapon is best known as being used by the Scottish Highlanders, being worn as part of traditional Highlander clothing. The weapon was also used during the age of sail as a close-range weapon for fighting on board ships. * Double-edged straight blade * 9-10 inches |-|Special= Wooden Spears To hunt game, Selkirk must have shaped wood into homemade spears. These spears were fallen branches or pieces of wood, which Selkirk stripped and its end shaped into a sharp point. It was an excellent hunting tool that he can either use to lunge or throw at his prey. * 4 feet * Sharp pointy head X-Factors Experience Both men have seen their own share of combat, both against human as well as inhuman opponents. Hugh Glass was a frontiersmen who also fought Indians. He fought many of them during the great Arikara War, and he himself died during a skirmish with them. Alexander Selkirk fought multiple battles during the War of Spanish Succession as a privateer and buccaneer. Not only that, but he also kinda fought the law from time to time since his youth. Physicality It is important for these men to be physcally healthy in order to survive their ordeals. Glass was a strong fella himself, having wrestled a full grown bear and lived to tell the tale. Selkirk on the other hand, had to condition his body in order to hunt when his supply of gunpowder ran out. He trained himself to be fast and have a strong stamina in order to run down fast moving prey. Survival Skills They wouldn't be called survivors if not for their resilency, durability and outright stubborness to keep on living. Glass' most famous feat was crawling/walking/rafting 200 miles even with a broken leg and lacerated back in which his ribs were vulnerable to the element. And he did that while having to look out for hostile Indians and wild animals. Selkirk himself is a tough SOB. He once got injured after falling from a cliff while chasing his prey. And he even elluded Spanish sailors who came accross his island by mistake. Hunting and Stealth Hugh Glass is a hunter, which means that he needs to be quiet when he's out in the woods stalking his prey. This time-honed skill became useful for him when he needed to hide and escape from Indians he might've come across. Alexander Selkirk was a hunter as well, but he also used his stealth prior during his time as a delinquent and criminal. In his time in the island, he needed to be stealthy in order to escape and hide from Spanish sailors who came across his refuge once. Notes * Battle will be one-on-one and will take place in an uninhabited forest somewhere in the Aleutian Islands. * Votes must be complete with weapon and x-factor edges. I decide whether a vote is acceptable or not. * Voting ends next week on September 14 or when I get enough votes. Category:Blog posts